“One of the highlights of my year,” said Michelle Obama. “You only have to look around the room today to see how strong women make the world a better place,” added a deputy secretary of state.
Where did the first lady and Heather Higginbottom make these comments? At the 2014 International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards.
Each year, the U.S. Department of State honors extraordinary women worldwide. Each honoree, often at great personal risk, fights for peace, justice, human rights and women’s equality.
Mrs. Obama sees in these champions an example for us all.
“They teach us that if a woman can fight torture and oppression and get her name on the ballot in Tajikistan, if she can break a glass ceiling and advocate for equality and tolerance as a bishop in Georgia, if she can go door to door, police station to police station, court to court to combat domestic and child abuse in Saudi Arabia — if these women can do all of that, then surely we can summon a fraction of their bravery in our own lives and communities,” the first lady said of the 2014 winners.
Will the 2015 honorees inspire us as deeply as their predecessors? Tune in to the State Department’s YouTube channel March 5 at 18:00 UTC and find out.
